Fight Secret Efforts to Slash Medicaid Funding and Repeal the Affordable Care Act

We are at a critical juncture in Congress’ attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and dramatically undermine Medicaid by changing its financing to a block grant or per capita cap. Yesterday we learned from several sources of a secret plan that only let Republican members and staffers may view in a “dedicated reading room.” A Bloomberg article – Republicans Hide New Obamacare Draft Under Shroud of Secrecy – sheds light on this information.

With reports that House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce will begin marking up this secret language next week, we need to emphasize the need to provide an open and transparent process so that there is an opportunity for input, hearings, and a financial “score” from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on how much the plan costs and saves before the first vote is cast.

Key Points

• Republicans in Congress are planning to push through a plan that repeals health care that will mean less coverage, weaker protections and higher costs.
• After seeing the latest polling and how scared and angry people were at town halls, Republicans are rushing forward with a secret plan because they suspect people will reject it once they see it.
• There must be an open and transparent process before taking health insurance away from tens of millions of people, increasing taxes and out-of-pocket health care costs for working people, and destroying Medicaid.
• The secret plan needs to be debated responsibly under regular order – there needs to be an opportunity for input, hearings, and a CBO score before the first vote is cast in Committee. 

IMMEDIATE ACTION STEPS:

1. Make four phone calls. Sample message – “What’s the big secret? Show us your plan that allows 30 million Americans to keep their coverage, protects 74 million Medicaid enrollees, and makes monthly premiums, co-pays and prescription medicines affordable for all.”

• Call House Speaker Ryan – (202) 225–0600
• Call the House Energy & Commerce Committee – (202) 225–2927
• Call the House Ways & Means Committee – (202) 225–3625)
• Call your Republican Representative (or one from your state) – 866–426–2631 (you will be connected to your Republican Representative or a Republican Representative from your state)

2. Spread the word via social media. Use the hashtag #NoSecretPlan & retweet https://twitter.com/FamiliesUSA/status/837316074903318528